That's "Campana-stan" or ''Land of Campana." It reflects the Weltanschauung of Michael E. Campana, President-for-Life of the Republic of Campanastan. Welcome to Campanastan - no passports or visas required!

Texas Agriculture Law BlogDon't let the name fool you - there are lots of water issues in agriculture and Tiffany Dowell of Texas A&M University does a fabulous job with this important Internet resource. Give it a read - I do every day!

The Way of WaterOregon State University Geography PhD Student, Jennifer Veilleux, records her fieldwork, research, and thoughts about transboundary water resources development in the Nile River and Mekong River basins. Particular attention is given to Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Laos' Xayaburi Dam projects.

Thirsty in SuburbiaGayle Leonard documents things from the world of water that make us smile: particularly funny, amusing and weird items on bottled water, water towers, water marketing, recycling, the art-water nexus and working.

This Day in Water HistoryMichael J. 'Mike' McGuire, engineer extraordinaire, NAE member, and author of 'The Chlorine Revolution', blogs about historical happenings in the fields of drinking water and wastewater keyed to calendar dates.

Watering the DesertAptly-titled blog by CJ Brooks, a lawyer-hydrologist-geologist from Tucson, AZ.

Watershed Moments: Thoughts from the HydrosphereFrom Sarah Boon - rediscovering her writing and editing roots after 13 years, primarily as an environmental scientist. Her writing centres around creative non-fiction, specifically memoir and nature writing. The landscapes of western Canada are her main inspiration.

Translation

Monday, 06 July 2009

Manny Gets a Pass - Were You Expecting Something Else?

Manny Ramirez has received over 1200 walks in his career but recently got the biggest one of all. Ramirez - quitter extraordinaire, arguably the best right-handed hitter of our generation, and current clown prince of baseball, was given a hero's welcome when he returned to the Dodgersafter a 50-game suspension for taking a banned substance.

And the exuberant welcome was all the more amazing given the fact that he debuted in Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. Something like 25,000 Dodger fans made the 120-mile trek south to welcome Manny back.

So what does this mean, if anything? It simply means that most baseball fans don't care much about players who take steroids or banned substances, as long as it is their player. Such players fall into the same category as lawyers and politicians: "My guy's great, your guy is an unethical scumbag." You can bet that Manny will get booed unmercifully in other ballparks.

And I heard something incredulous yesterday morning. Sports reporter Michael Kay declared on ESPN's The Sports Reporters that only sports journalists and their ilk cared about the integrity of baseball. Uh-huh. Where were those guys when the banned substances story was developing? Like the rest of us, they were homers, asleep at the switch, but cheering those mammoth home runs.

"Forget about the trade. This is where I want to be, ... Manny being Manny, man.” -- Manny Ramirez

Circle of BlueCircle of Blue uses journalism, scientific research, and conversations from around the world to bring the story of the global freshwater crisis to life. Here you’ll find new water reports, news headlines, and hear from leading scientists.

Drink Water For LifeThe idea is simple. Drink water or other cheap beverages instead of expensive lattes, sodas, and bottled water for a set period of time. A day, a week, a month, Lent, Ramadan, Passover, or some other holiday period.

eFlowNet NewsletterFrom the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this newsletter has lots of information about environmental flows and related issues.

Sustainable Water Resources RoundtableSince 2002, the Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable (SWRR) has brought together federal, state, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors to advance our understanding of the nation’s water resources and to develop tools for their sustainable management.